OSU rundown: Early (and late) Civil War approaches

Another Civil War comes to Gill Coliseum on Sunday night.
Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian

The champagne flutes are still in the sink, the resolutions are yet unbroken, and we're already talking about a Civil War.

Yes, Oregon and Oregon State get together Sunday at Gill Coliseum in a game that is both early and late.

It's the earliest Civil War for Craig Robinson and Dana Altman, as the rivalry game doubles as the conference opener for the first time since Dec. 30, 2006. The Beavers and Ducks have opened conference play against each other eight times since the expansion to the Pac-10; the Ducks have won each of the last six.

And it's late in that the Oregon teams will be the last Pac-12 teams to play a conference game, playing nearly 24 hours after the 10 other teams have a league game under their belts.

Overall, the Beavers hold a 184-153 lead in the series. The teams split last season, with both the Beavers and Ducks failing to win on their home floor. (It also was the last time the Ducks have lost in their building, as they have run off 16 home wins in a row since then.)